


If actions are worth a thousand words, a bouquet is worth a million

by hazel_eyed_bi



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Carlos Reyes speaks spanish, Established Relationship, Flowers, Fluff, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, M/M, Texting, and everyone knows, but they haven't said it yet, drive-in date, they're in LOVE guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazel_eyed_bi/pseuds/hazel_eyed_bi
Summary: Or: Five times TK said the L-word, and one time Carlos... didn't really have to say it.---Carlos is absolutely smitten with TK, and plans to let him know. TK is also head-over-heels for him, and damn the boy is bad at hiding it, but he's still somewhat... apprehensive about saying those three little words.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes & Michelle Blake, Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Paul Strickland & TK Strand
Comments: 22
Kudos: 351





	If actions are worth a thousand words, a bouquet is worth a million

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing for Tarlos, literally just finished season 1 a few days ago. Also just coming out of a writer's block with this. Any and all comments are welcome and encouraged!

_yellow lilies_

_baby's breath_

_red tulips_

Carlos reads over the handwritten note for the umpteenth time since the beginning of his shift, his heartbeat momentarily picking up as he runs his thumb over the underlined words. It's the end of the month, meaning he spent most of the day at the station, but because he's had his mind set on his plan for the evening, he managed to get through all of his paperwork ahead of time and convince his sergeant to let him leave early.

"You've been looking at that paper all day, what's going on?" Michelle's voice startles Carlos as he walks out of the locker room. "You seem nervous. You don't get nervous."

"Oh, it's nothing. Just..." He hands Michelle the note to read. "Date night with TK."

She reads, raising her eyebrows behind her bangs "Flowers huh? Is there a special occasion? Do I hear wedding bells, Re-"

" _No_." He quickly cuts her off and takes the note from her hand, unable to hold back a chuckle. "No, no, no, we're nowhere near any of that." He directs his gaze to the floor as he begins walking towards the exit. Michelle, still (and always) at his side, leans down to make him look at her, urging him to continue. "We haven't even said 'I love you' yet, Michelle."

"What?" The word comes out as a whisper of disbelief, stopping her dead in her tracks. "But you've told me so yourself, you love him, Carlos."

"Yeah." He turns around with a half-smile, raising the note between his index and middle fingers. "I do."

"Oohhh." Michelle throws him a knowing look, along with that infamously gentle side grin of hers. "Well, good luck Officer. Have fun."

"Talk to you later, Captain."

Carlos crumples the note back into his pocket and takes a breath as he makes his way to the parking garage.

* * *

**"Lilies most commonly mean devotion or purity, though meaning can vary by type of lily, culture, and color."**

\- www.ftd.com

**"Expression of beautiful sunshine, the color yellow is considered to be a symbol of happiness and cheer."**

\- m.floweraura.com

**"Gaiety is one of the symbols of the yellow lily. It can also mean "I'm walking on air"."**

\- www.auntyflow.com

**_yellow lilies - happiness_ **

* * *

"So how's it going with 'Officer Papi'?"

TK almost falls mid-squat. 

Noticing his struggle, Paul rushes over from his spot on the bench and helps him with the weight that was on his shoulders, earning a glare from TK after placing the weight back in its spot. 

There is no way Paul could possibly know about the nickname. None. TK has never called Carlos 'Papi' before. In public at least. Or so he thinks. Has he? 

He turns to Paul with an accusatory finger raised in front of him. "Dude how do you-"

TK's reprimand is cut short by a familiar chime. His phone lays face-up on the bench next to where Paul was sitting, and TK can vaguely make out the text notifications. He knows who the sender is by the little blue heart next to the contact name (which just happens to be 'Officer Papi'. He probably ought to change that, he thinks).

"You know, a wise man once said..." TK starts as he walks towards the bench and picks up the phone.

<| Hey baby. <3 | 

<| Sarg finally let me go :D | 

<| Want me to come pick you up? ;) |

| Yeah I'm almost done |>

| You know emojis exist right? |>

<| These are more fun :P |

<| Drive-in date? |

| Always. |>

TK locks his phone after replying, a fond smile he's unaware of having grown on his face. Carlos can actually be such a dork when he wants to be, TK loves that about him. 

He halts that train of thought, stops short at the word "love"; he does nothing, however, to keep his closed-lip smile from transforming into a toothy grin. Paul, now sitting on the bench again, raises his eyebrows with a knowing look.

"So what did the wise man say?"

TK then remembers where he was going with his sentence, and quickly recovers. "He said: 'never peek into another man's phone', Paul. Oh, wait yeah," He pointedly puts his phone back on the bench, now facing down, like the man in front of him had once done. "that was you."

* * *

A mere five minutes away from the firehouse (and not _just_ leaving the police station like he's made TK think), Carlos gets in his car and giddily tosses his phone onto the shotgun seat, carefully laying the assorted bouquet of flowers next to it. He smiles at the employee of the flower shop through the window, grateful for her assistance and for not finding it weird or dorky that he walked in there with a list of flowers and their meanings memorized, or for insisting that his boyfriend wasn't a red roses kind of guy. Carlos suspects that TK probably won't have a clue about the symbolism of the arrangement, but at least he does, and that's good enough for him. He stops for a second to fix his hair in the rear-view mirror before buckling up and starting the car.

* * *

**"The baby's breath flower is a symbol of everlasting love or love that'll never wither nor die."**

\- treesymbolism.com

**"This flower reminds us to always cherish the ones we love and to show them affection."**

\- flowermeanings.org

**"Everlasting and undying love, including family, platonic, and romantic bonds."**

\- flowermeaning.com

**_baby's breath - devotion_ **

* * *

Paul chuckles as he offers TK a water bottle. "Alright, alright. But really man, how's it going with you two?"

TK takes a sip, hoping to try and hide the smile that slowly creeps his way back onto his face. "It's goin' good." He shrugs.

"It's goin' good? That's it, that's all you're giving me? Come on man, I've been telling you all about this girl I'm seeing, you owe me a little bit more than that."

"I don't owe you anything for being nosy, dude." He sits on another bench to Paul's right, facing away from the entrance stairs to the gym. Paul gives him a look like he's about to do his _thing_ , and rather than have to put up with that, TK chooses to just keep talking. "Alright, what do you want me to say? It's going great, he's amazing, and we're- we're taking it slow."

Paul scoffs. Yes, he actually _scoffs_. "What do you mean slow? You seemed wayyy too cozy last time I saw you two together to be 'taking it slow'."

"Yeah well," TK's whole demeanor falls. His eyes droop and he starts fiddling with the bottle in his hands, shifting his feet as he continues. "We uh, we sorta hit the reset button after my whole 'getting shot and questioning my life choices' thing."

"Ah." Knowing he's stepping onto ground that is better left behind them, Paul decides to swerve the conversation down a more comfortable path for TK. "It's been six months since that though," He starts, then catches himself before going further.

It's at that moment that the stars align for Paul, who decides that he's going to have a little fun. He looks past TK and sees none other than the man of the hour rising through the stairs and about to walk into the gym, bouquet in hand and wearing his nice leather jacket. Taking advantage of an instant in which TK isn't looking, Paul signs to Carlos to hang back, and the man reluctantly obeys with a furrowed brow. 

Paul dons a smirk. "So how's Mr. Put-your-hands-behind-your-back treating you now?"

TK lets out a contented sigh, a breath he feels he's been constantly taking whenever he thinks about Carlos. "Like a damn prince, if I'm being honest." He puts the water bottle next to him and leans back on his hands. He looks happy, carefree even, Paul notes, and he's not even trying to hide the loving gaze he directs towards the ceiling as he thinks of the policeman, unaware of the fact that he's in the room. "He's considerate. And fun. He makes me laugh and… like I can just forget about everything when I'm with him." Twenty feet behind him, Carlos leans against the railing, settling down to listen. TK's voice turns shier. "And ya know, I try to do the same, treat him like a prince too. He deserves it." Carlos feels his ears go hot and drops his head to hide the blush.

Enjoying this more than anything he's seen all day (including Mateo and Marjan climbing the ladder to rescue a fat cat in a tree that then proceeded to jump down on his own), Paul prompts TK to continue. "Sounds like you really hit the jackpot with this prince of yours."

"Yeah, I mean… he's… he's a gentleman. He's bold. And smart, he's so smart. A little arrogant, not gonna lie, but I **love** it." The word slips past TK's lips before he can stop it, and Carlos’s breath hitches in his throat at the sound of it. TK gives himself a pass, promising that he's not gonna say that word again, before continuing. "He always knows just what to say, but he's not afraid to call me out on my shit too." Carlos silently chuckles at this, and so does TK, letting a goofy grin onto his face with a playful voice to match. "And ya know, he takes his job so seriously and people think he's this super stoic guy but.. you should see him with his family, he's got these two 6-year-old nieces, and he's _amazing_ with them. He'll pick them up both at the same, one hanging from each arm, it's the most adorable thing you'll ever see in your life." Carlos revisits the memory and smiles, remembering the first time he introduced TK to his family at a gathering a month ago. It's one of his favorite days with TK so far. For a moment, TK lets his guard down and continues. "And his smile. God, I **love** his smile, it just lights up the room."

And there it is again. Carlos’s chest swells and he can't help but smile brighter and wider than he already was. He can feel his face going red and the butterflies in his stomach doing back-flips. TK, however, reprimands himself in his head. What's wrong with him? Why does he keep saying that? 

Paul once again notices the change in TK's demeanor and proceeds with a lighter tone. "I'm guessing it doesn't hurt that he's got the body of a Greek god, right?"

"Tell me about it." TK absentmindedly bites his bottom lip. "Goddamn Zeus ain't got nothing on him."

And that's when Paul cracks. He starts laughing, a mere chuckle at first, but when he keeps going, laughs longer and louder with his gaze flickering around the room, TK grows suspicious.

"What?"

An unexpected second laugh ringing out from behind him is his only response, a laugh he knows all too well. After a split second of realization, TK drops his face into his hands with a quiet groan, unable to even turn to face his boyfriend from utter embarrassment, as Paul laughs even harder. "Shut up, man," TK tells him as he stands up from the bench, grabbing his towel and heading for the stairs.

"Where are you going, my prince?" Carlos teases him with a smile as TK walks past him.

"You shut up too, you're here early and I'm gonna go take a quick shower."

"As you wish, your highness."

TK stops in his tracks and turns toward Carlos. He takes the few steps back up to reach him, puffing out his chest in a provocative manner, stopping at the last step and standing a little closer than necessary. "You keep that up and it might not be so quick." 

Carlos takes the opportunity to plant a quick peck on TK's lips, all the while keeping a smirk on his own. His head is tilted back and he looks into TK's eyes from under his eyelashes, an expression that always makes TK feel like the luckiest guy on Earth.

This prompts a half-repressed smile from TK, who begrudgingly takes a look down at the flowers in Carlos' hand. "Red and yellow. Very firefighter. I love them."

Confirming his suspicions, Carlos lets out a chuckle before planting one last peck on his dumb boyfriend's lips. "I'll wait in the car."

TK walks off to hit the showers, only narrowly missing the scene behind him: Paul, still laughing, offers Carlos a fist-bump as he too walks out of the gym, which Carlos gladly returns with a satisfied grin.

A good thirty minutes later (ten more than he really needed to get ready), TK walks out of the firehouse and gets into Carlos's car. Not giving him a chance to say anything, Carlos instantly pulls TK in for a proper kiss, one that he'd been yearning to give him since they parted that morning at his house. It lasts a little longer than it needs to, as their hello kisses usually do, but it also holds something more, something stronger, softer and yet more passionate. Carlos takes TK's hand in his as they part. With his free one, TK grabs the bouquet from the dashboard, where Carlos had placed it, and digs his nose into them before shooting Carlos a smile.

"So," Carlos speaks up, to which TK raises his eyebrows in question. "Zeus ain't got nothin' on me?"

With a smile, a nudge, and a squeeze of his hand, TK responds. "Just shut up and drive."

* * *

**"The meaning of tulips is generally perfect love. Like many flowers, different colors of tulips also carry their own significance."**

\- www.proflowers.com

**"Red tulips are the hue of choice to express that you are deeply in love."**

\- easternfloral.com

**"When someone receives red tulips it is not just a declaration of love, but the giver also admits that they believe in love with that person."**

\- onehowto.com

**_red tulips - love_ **

* * *

When Carlos returns from the drive-in food truck with popcorn, nachos, and their two beverages, TK has pulled out a tulip from the bouquet and is twirling it in his hand. Whatever doubt that could've possibly been left in Carlos' heart is gone in that instant, at the sight of his boyfriend sitting on the hood of his car, headlights and taillights and the bright glare of the screen showering him in shine and color, as he fiddles with a flower that _he_ gave him.

Carlos doesn't realize that he stopped walking to stare at him until TK catches his gaze and calls out to him. "Well get over here baby, I'm thirsty," TK says with a suggestive grin. Carlos knows he's just talking about the drinks, though. He makes his way over and jumps up onto his usual spot, handing TK his Sprite in the process.

They settle into a comfortable silence, waiting for the movie to begin as they start on the nachos. They steal occasional glances at each other, thinking the other doesn't notice, and laugh when they both glance at the same time. They make remarks at things they see, talk about their day, greet passerby’s that they know, crack a joke here and there just to see the other laugh. At one point they both go for the same nacho, and TK swats Carlos’s hand away, only to take the nacho and feed it to him, giving Carlos the opportunity to put some cheese on his nose. TK kisses him with the pretext of getting cheese on his face too, but that's really just an excuse because when they kiss, everything and everyone, every sound and sight and voice around them fall away. It's only the two of them on top of the car and under the stars, in a moment that lasts an eternity. It's date night, and it's perfect, and they're happy, and there's nowhere else they'd rather be.

Checking his watch and knowing the movie begins in about five minutes, Carlos is, as always, the one to speak up about the elephant in the drive-in.

"Ty?" He starts, and TK hums in response, suddenly very interested because he called him 'Ty' and not TK or 'baby'. "Did you mean everything you said back there? At the gym?"

TK laughs softly, letting his head fall how he does. "What do you think, Carlos?" He tilts his head to the side, now looking at his boyfriend with a soft gaze. TK finds the smallest hint of insecurity in his boyfriend's expectant eyes, something that he knows Carlos will rarely let people see in him, so he quickly answers. "Of course I meant it. All of it."

Carlos smiles at this, and TK notices his shoulders relax a little. "Am I arrogant?" He jokes, trying to show that he wants to lighten the mood again, but TK can tell there's still something on his mind, so he continues.

"Listen, man, I know we had a rocky start. I know I gave you a hard time in the beginning with all my baggage,"

"No, TK y-"

"Let me finish?" He asks of him softly, giving Carlos the puppy eyes that he knows will work on him. And they do, because Carlos gives him a tight-lipped smile as compliance. "I did, and I'm aware of it, trust me. I'm also aware of the fact that you've stuck by my side through and through, despite all of it. Somehow." They both smile for an instant. "It took me a while to fall into a rhythm. With the town, the team, with you, everything." TK takes Carlos’s hand in his. "But Carlos, I need you to know: I am all in. I am one hundred percent in this with you now. You are my boyfriend, and I am your boyfriend. We're boyfriends, and we've been boyfriends for six months, and I've **loved** it and-"

"TK, you're ranting, and I am very much enjoying it," Carlos cuts him off with a smile, pausing to bring TK's hand to his lips before asking, "but what are you trying to say?"

Reviewing what he's been going on and on about, and realizing that there's no turning back, TK gathers the nerves to say the words he hasn't said to another guy since the last time he got his heart broken.

"What I'm trying to say is- and God I hate that I _don't hate_ to say it-" He looks down, takes a breath, then turns to him. "I **love** you, Carlos Reyes. I fucking **love** yo-"

Carlos cuts him off, crashing his lips into TK's, making sure to absorb the words and drill them into his heart, all the while returning them to him. 

Carlos doesn't know when he fell in love, he just knew one day that he had. Probably the day he decided to introduce TK to his family. Or maybe the day he saw him trying to save that woman from the flipped bus. Or maybe it was at the hospital, six months ago, knowing that there was a chance he'd never get to talk to TK again and feeling like he was laying his heart on that bed next to him. Maybe he's always loved TK, and by the way that TK is kissing him back, maybe TK has always loved him too. 

By the time they part and lay their foreheads against each other, out of breath but full of love, the lights have gone down and the movie has already started. They both laugh at the realization as they settle down with the popcorn, Carlos wrapping his arm around him as TK lays his head on his chest. After a few minutes of letting his head stop reeling, and noticing that TK is once again fiddling with the red tulip, Carlos speaks up.

"Oh, you might want to look deeper into those flowers, mi amor."

TK smiles and lays the tulip on Carlos' chest with a caress. "'Mi amor'. That's a new one." 

Carlos takes the tulip, carefully breaks the stem, and puts it in his chest pocket. TK smiles at the sight as he reaches for the bouquet, which lay behind him on the windshield, and deep inside it he finds a wrinkled note that was hurriedly smoothed over.

_yellow lilies - happiness_

_baby's breath - devotion_

_red tulips - love_

"Turn it around," Carlos whispers in TK's ear, and he does as he's told. On the other side he reads:

 _'I_ _love_ _you, Tyler Kennedy Strand. Te amo_ _demasiado_ _.'_

TK is flabbergasted. There's no other word for it. He's not even grimacing at the sight of his full written name, only because it's in the handwriting of the man he loves. _Loves._ Out of all days, he decides to say 'I love you' the same day that Carlos planned to. "How is it- how- how did you-"

"Because I know you, _my prince_ ," Carlos says as he snuggles his face into TK's, which only earns him a shove.

After a beat, TK asks, without looking up from the note, "What does 'demasiado' mean again?"

"A little too much. Or a lot." Carlos replies, planting a few soft kisses on TK's head. He thinks that today probably just took the top spot on his list of favorite days with TK.

After that, they really do settle down to watch the movie. They feed each other popcorn kernels, they share a salty kiss every once in a while, and they pay more attention to each other than to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. "Mi amor" and "my prince" are teasingly muttered under their breaths in between sentences, both unaware that the pet names will inevitably catch on. It's date night, and it's perfect, and they're happy and in love. And there's nowhere else they'd rather be, and no one else they'd rather be with.


End file.
